By the time she took over the role of Maxie Jones on ABC’s General Hospital, Kirsten Renee Storms was certainly not a stranger to the world of acting or daytime television. Prior to playing Maxie, Storms originated the role of Belle Black on Days of our Lives at the age of fifteen. It was a role that allowed the young actress to hone her craft with fundamental daytime material, while building a solid audience for herself through Belle’s all American good girl sweetness. However, it is the edginess of Maxie Jones that has stretched Kirsten’s range and displayed her true ability to personify her character while performing on-screen.
Kirsten Storms-A Young Talent in the Making
Growing up as the daughter of a news sports director in Orlando, Florida, Storms’ acting ambitions surfaced at the age of five. Kirsten was discovered by a talent scout while performing in local area acting showcases, which led to her enrollment in a high profile acting program in New York. Following her participation in the program, Storms started to secure commercial acting jobs including her first television series as Ashley on Second Noah as well as the Disney movie Zenon: Girl of the 21st Century.
When Kirsten landed the role of Isabella “Belle” Black on the NBC soap Days of our Lives, she’d been a working actress for three years. Still, playing the daughter of one of the show’s most high-profile romantic couples, John Black and Marlena Evans wasn’t an easy feat. Not only was she originating the role of a character the show’s producers had decided to put through “soap opera rapid aging syndrome,” but Kirsten Storms also had to star opposite two of Days of our Lives’ most veteran actors-Drake Hogestyn and Deidre Hall. Despite the risks and the challenges in taking on such a role, Storms pulled it off, creating an avid fan following for herself and her character “Belle,” while also winning a Young Artist and Soap Opera Digest Award for her performances.
Becoming Maxie Jones
In 2005, the producers of General Hospital expressed an interest in recasting the role of Maxie Jones, the “surrogate” daughter of Mac Scorpio and “cousin” of his niece, Dr. Robin Scorpio. Following an unsuccessful recast that resulted in massive fan disapproval, the producers were forced to rehire the character’s former portrayer, Robyn Richards. Typically recasts are done to either take the character in a different direction or to fill a vacated role that the writers and producers feel is vital to storyline development. While the exact details are rarely revealed, from observing the difference between the material handed to Richards versus Storms, one could speculate that a more mature, stronger display of Maxie’s core characteristics was desired.
As Maxie on General Hospital, Kirsten Storms has tackled storylines dealing with the death of her character’s sister, emotional repercussions from parental abandonment, marital infidelity, emotional manipulation, dysfunctional romantic attachment, as well as taking personal responsibility for the redemption of one’s life. Storms has portrayed Maxie as a woman who carries both a sense of sarcastic entitlement and deep, although often misplaced compassion for those she loves. Strikingly different from that of her former daytime role as Belle Black, the character of Maxie Jones has enabled Storms’ audience to experience the other side of the actress’s potential.
Through Kirsten Storms’ portrayal, Maxie’s outbursts become both relatable and hysterically laughable. Her tragedies and subsequent reactions to them develop a life outside of the television screen, as their depth is felt within the audience that witnesses them. Her manipulations, decisions, and motivations can be understood, albeit debatable. Nominated in 2009 for a Daytime Emmy for her work on General Hospital, Kirsten Storms’ continual character development of Maxie Jones can be sure to be captivating to watch as long as the actress receives solid written material.
Kirsten Storms is one of daytime’s most successful recasts in the role of General Hospital’s Maxie Jones. An often controversial character, Maxie has been portrayed by the actress on the show since 2005, becoming one of the more entertaining fixtures on its canvas. A self-absorbed, sarcastically witty character with questionable, yet well-intentioned motives, Maxie Jones has given Kirsten Storms the opportunity to experiment with a different range of her acting abilities-a range that has proven to be delightful and inspiring to watch.
The actress can also be followed on Twitter @teenystweeting.
Source: (2010-2011). Soap Opera Digest and Soap Opera Weekly.com. Kirsten Storms-Bio-General Hospital. Interlink Media.
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